


Whatever It Takes

by Aquillandink



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Violence, M/M, Multi, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Relationships, Post-Apocalypse, Sick Character, Survival, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:48:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28676211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aquillandink/pseuds/Aquillandink
Summary: “Sharing was something Sugawara had really enjoyed in the old world. He loved making friends and he loved people. Daichi had commented once that Suga had too strong of a sense of humor, prone to teasing people and joking with them before he’d even learned their name. Sharing jokes, food, and time with other people had been his biggest source of happiness.Now it could easily land him a bullet between his eyes. Desperation, hunger, and fear did terrible things to a person’s heart.”(AKA: THE OBLIGATORY ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE AU)—-Sugawara and the family he has built struggle to survive the hoards of the changed. As they battle sickness, other survivors, and nature, they have only one goal: stay alive. whatever it takes.
Relationships: Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20





	1. The Pharmacy

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I’m so excited to be posting this AHHH! So basically, yeah, zombie apocalypse AU. I’ve wanted to do something like this for a while, and I’ve got a lot of ideas, but I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts! 
> 
> Some info about this AU:  
> \- the apocalypse started in the end of Sugawara’s first year, so he only met Daichi, Asahi, and Kiyoko through the club. instead of meeting the younger ones through the club, they found each of them throughout the past two years in varying ways and circumstances.  
> \- while I will remind you, please check the tags with every update! I’m undecided on some things, so I will likely add warnings and tags as they’re needed.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Sugawara Koushi was many things, most of which the need for has become a thing of the past. He was once a talented student. Past grades were never spared much thought anymore. He was once a fantastic setter in his school’s volleyball club. He couldn’t tell you when the last time his fingertips touched a volleyball was. But one thing has remained throughout the tragedy that struck two years ago:

Sugawara Koushi was a leader.

Perhaps he wasn’t the only leader or the one with the most authority, but he was always consistently somebody that people looked to for guidance. Whether that was always the best choice was an entirely different matter, but despite his doubts, Suga knew he would lead as long as he was allowed. 

The rain that pelted the roof of the pharmacy they were huddled in was loud, but welcome. Suga sighed with relief as he peered through the glass door that they had shut firmly behind them after Tanaka scouted the small building out and called that they were clear. A broad shoulder brushed against his as a tanned brunette slid out from behind him to peer though the glass. He let out a breath to match Suga’s. 

“Good. Even if the changed are nearby, the rain should cover any sounds we make,” Daichi commented. Suga nodded, letting himself lean against his friend for a moment and soak in some of his warmth. The weather had been so cold lately, and finding proper clothes had been a struggle. Suga had gone without a jacket until last week, insisting that the younger members of their group take any clothes they found. 

Suga let his heavy eyes shut, just long enough for him to really feel how worn out he was. “Mhm. Should handle any tracks we made too. I’d hate for another group to follow us here,” he mumbled, frowning bitterly just at the thought as he gazed around the pharmacy. It was one of the most well-stocked places they’d found in a long time, hidden away in a small neighborhood they’d just arrived in. It was small enough that it was likely a family-owned thing at one time. Now, it was hopefully going to keep Suga and his family alive.

There was always a spark of guilt in his chest when he thought about other groups out there. Sharing was something Sugawara had really enjoyed in the old world. He loved making friends and he loved people. Daichi had commented once that Suga had too strong of a sense of humor, prone to teasing people and joking with them before he’d even learned their name. Sharing jokes, food, and time with other people had been his biggest source of happiness. 

Now it could easily land him a bullet between his eyes. Desperation, hunger, and fear did terrible things to a person’s heart.

Suga opened his eyes and glanced around the shop. Asahi, the giant softy, was helping Ennoshita pack medicines into his bag. The poor guy’s nerves were so bad that he could never do what Ennoshita does, passing out medicine and stitching up wounds, but he liked to help as much as he could. Sugawara appreciated it, and he knew Ennoshita did too.

Suga, Daichi, and Asahi had started out with only each other, and found Kiyoko soon after. But out of those three, Asahi was the only one who’d never killed any of the changed. _“They were p-people...”_ he’d sobbed out one night, after a close call on a supply run. _“I-I know they’re...not anymore...b-but they were, Suga.”_

Suga’s heart broke for him. Maybe it was unreasonable with the state of the world, but now one of the unspoken rules of the group was that Asahi was never expected to kill. Suga would do what he had to, but Asahi was to keep his kind soul at any cost.

Hinata and Kageyama, two of the younger members of their group, were going on day 3 of the same argument as they made their way to a corner to drop their bags. Suga couldn’t tell what it was about at this point (definitely something obscure and irrelevant to them), and Daichi had sent him several pointed looks indicating that he should stop them. Truthfully, Suga found it very amusing. It was sort of nice that they could still squabble about such trivial things. He found himself grinning as Hinata gestured wildly enough with his arms that he accidentally whacked Yamaguchi as the freckled teen passed behind him, turning to the redhead with a confused look. Kageyama jabbed Hinata in the ribs, now yelling about how he was a danger to himself and others. Tsukishima, the tallest member of their group despite being in the youngest age range, rolled his eyes at the two before pulling Yamaguchi away to go look behind the counter.

A harsh cough broke through the sounds of chatter and rain. Suga winced at the sound and felt Daichi do the same. When Ennoshita straightened up at the sound and moved towards the back of the shop, Suga patted Daichi absently on the arm before swiftly following after the younger male. 

Suga felt his chest tighten with dread at the sight as he approached the pair on the floor. “How’s Noya feeling?” He asked softly. Tanaka glanced up at him and then at Ennoshita. He was kneeling on the ground with his backpack in front of him, currently being used as a makeshift pillow for Nishinoya’s head as the small teen dozed uncomfortably. Coughs racked his entire body every so often, his eyes glassy and feverish when they cracked open before immediately falling shut again. 

Tanaka slumped his shoulders. “About the same, I guess,” he muttered. 

Noya getting sick had scared the hell out of Suga. Honestly at this point, he would never yell at the energetic teen for being too loud again if it would get him to go back to normal. The group dynamic felt wrong without Noya and Tanaka’s shenanigans. As days passed with Noya only getting worse, everyone grew worried but nobody more so than Tanaka and Asahi. While Asahi tried to stay distracted, Tanaka had the opposite way of coping by never leaving his friend’s side. 

Ennoshita kneeled down and carefully pressed his ear to Noya’s chest. Suga wrung his hands together nervously as the watched the black-haired boy’s expression closely. Ennoshita’s face remained calm, his sleepy eyes giving nothing away until he sat up and met Suga’s gaze. 

“Chest is still rattling a bit. I found some stuff I can give him that will hopefully help clear up his cough. I’ll give him a fever reducer too,” he added as he brushed the back of his hand over Noya’s forehead. Suga nodded, fighting back his urge to ask more questions. Ennoshita was doing the best he could for somebody who’d started with average medical knowledge at best. He knew better than any of them that if worse came to worse, he wasn’t a doctor and there wasn’t much he could really do. 

Suga knelt down to run his fingers through Noya’s hair, working out a few tangles. He clapped Tanaka on the shoulder, forcing a grin. “Thanks for carrying him! He’ll be up and talking our ear off in no time, just you wait,” he chuckled, and Tanaka nodded. He tugged his flannel off and draped it over Noya’s still body. 

“Yeah...yeah, you’re right! I’d better take a quick look around, he’d kill me if I just sat around moping,” Tanaka said firmly. Suga laughed a little as he stormed past, joining the others in looking through all the shelves. 

Mentally, Suga did a roll call of everyone he had seen. Him, Daichi, Asahi, Ennoshita, Tanaka, Nishinoya, Hinata, Kageyama, Yamaguchi, Tsukishika...

A jolt of worry stabbed Sugawara like a knife. “Where are the girls?” He called. There was a moment of silence where everyone looking at each other with rising panic before Yamaguchi popped up from behind the counter. “Ah, back here Sugawara-san! Yachi needed some quiet, so Kiyoko took her to the back of the storage,” he explained hastily. 

Suga felt himself physically deflate with relief, his heart thumping painfully fast in his chest. He snorted, leaning heavily on a shelf. “Jeez, don’t scare me like that!” 

Satisfied that his family was safe, Sugawara made his way back to the door where he’d left Daichi. He smiled upon seeing that he had already locked the doors, and had just finished pushing an empty shelf in front of them. Only then did a huge weight seem to lift from Suga’s shoulders. He finally, _FINALLY_ let his bag slide off his back, setting it down and lifting his arms above his head in big stretch that felt _amazing_ on his sore muscles. Daichi chuckled at the former setter’s groan as his back popped. 

Suga dropped his arms with a big sigh. “Can’t believe we managed to find this place. Seems secure for at least tonight.” He smiled to himself at the thought. _A full night’s uninterrupted sleep._ They wouldn’t even need to take watch shifts, as the rain came down heavier with the setting sun, and neither the dead nor living would be able to navigate the weather well enough to find them. Suga felt warm and fuzzy just thinking about not having to worry for a full night. 

Daichi seemed to be in the same mindset. He yawned and let his bag fall beside Suga’s. “Should have showered in the rain before blocking us in,” he joked, and Suga shuddered at the thought. 

“Hell, no. We got cold and wet enough with our clothes on,” he huffed, bringing a hand to his still damp hair and ruffling the silver mess in some attempt to speed up the drying process. But despite the jest, Daichi’s words did remind Suga to peer around for a bathroom, finally spotting one behind the counter. 

Suga passed Yamaguchi and Tsukishima on his way, noting with a small grin that they had set their stuff down and seemingly settled in for the night already, curled up together like they always did. The group had found the two most recently before Yachi, and Suga didn’t know their full story yet. But he knew they were childhood friends, and he knew they survived together for a while before joining the group, so Suga wasn’t surprised to see them attached at the hip. 

Suga peeked into the storage room in the very back, sure to stay quiet. Yachi was their newest and youngest addition, and though she was one of their kindest and smartest, she was very easily overwhelmed by anxiety. Suga often thought that if she could get over the fear of Asahi’s large stature, the two would be good friends.

Kiyoko had taken a very quick liking to Yachi, and Yachi seemed awestruck by the older girl. It was honestly adorable.

Kiyoko glanced up at Suga’s entrance, offering a small smile. She was sitting beside Yachi and holding her hand while Yachi shakily went through her breathing exercises. Suga raised an eyebrow and gave a thumbs up. Kiyoko returned the gesture. Satisfied, Suga finally entered the bathroom.

It was small, but Suga found a roll of paper towels, and more luckily, a couple bars of soap. The thought of getting clean was so enticing that he almost considered Daichi’s joke about showering in the rain seriously. Almost. 

Gathering the things in his arms, Suga glanced up and was started as he noticed the mirror for the first time. It was dusty, but through the grime, he could make out his reflection, something he hadn’t even thought about in...a while.

His skin was how he remembered it, but it was marked by a healing bruise on his jaw from taking a fall in the woods. A small scar slit one of his brows, and Suga could almost laugh, because maybe in a different life he’d have done that to himself on purpose as some sort of fashion choice. His hair wasn’t much longer than he remembered, because he tried to cut it whenever he could, but due to this it was definitely choppier. His brown eyes had pretty dark circles under them, but everyone had those. It was pretty normal. Suga brushed a finger over the beauty mark under his eye and smiled a bit sadly, remembering how he had used to be insecure about it. He’d give anything for that to be his biggest concern again. 

Looking at his reflection now, Suga thought he mostly looked tired. And he definitely was. He left the bathroom, careful to pack his finds away in his bag for later, after they had all rested.

“Sugawara-san,” Hinata called in a stage-whisper, much to the obvious annoyance of his taller companion, who grumbled as he tried to get comfortable on the ground. Suga raised a questioning brow. The group was all settling down now, the excitement of finding new supplies having burnt out and left nothing but exhaustion. Suga could tell that even Hinata was feeling it. The redhead’s eyes seemed heavy as he slumped back against the counter. 

He hesitated. “I’m worried for Nishinoya-senpai. He must be so hungry, right? I mean, I know we all are, but we’ve managed to have something to eat here and there, but he hasn’t had an appetite since he got sick, and what if he’s starving but too sick to tell us-”

“Hinata!” Suga quickly knelt to calm the younger boy, pulling him close. Hinata’s fists clutched at the back of his jacket, his breath shuddering as he tried to slow down. 

Suga hoped his words would come out more confident than he felt. “Nishinoya will be fine. Ennoshita takes really good care of him. We’ve got medicine for him now, and once he’s feeling better, we’ll find something really cool for him to eat,” he promised. Hinata was quiet, but eventually, he pulled away and nodded. 

“Right. Sorry. I didn’t mean to act like a kid,” he muttered. Suga frowned. It wasn’t fair that Hinata had to say that. He _was_ a kid, and should be allowed to act like it. But he understood why the other felt like he couldn’t. He probably understood it better than most. 

Kageyama sniffed from beside them, curling up tighter. “Shut up, stupid orange. Can’t sleep with your annoying voice,” he huffed. Hinata gasped with such genuine offense that Suga had to stop himself from laughing. As Hinata and Kageyama started arguing in ridiculous hushed whispers, Suga made his way to his bag where Daichi was already laying. His head rested on his bag, and his hands were folded over his stomach as he stared at the ceiling.

Sugawara slid up beside him. “You sleep like a corpse,” he said helpfully. Daichi shot him a look that had Suga snickering.

“Yeah, you make a point to tell me that every night,” Daichi whispered back. He moved an arm to his side, stretching out towards Suga, and he took the wordless invitation, scooting in close enough to rest his head against Daichi’s shoulder. Suga flushed pink as the arm wrapped around him. 

“What am I, a personal heater?” He muttered. Daichi looked far too smug, and Suga couldn’t hold in the quiet laugh that bubbled from his chest if he tried. The two lay together taking in the sounds of heavy rain, hushed conversation, soft snores, and slow breathing. This was their most peaceful lullaby, and sleep came easier than it had in a while.


	2. Sickness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sugawara struggles to stay a strong leader as Noya gets sicker. Daichi convinces him that they have to leave the pharmacy, so Suga hesitantly agrees. But he lacks true confidence in his decisions for the group, and it seems that he isn’t the only one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I’m back again with another update! School just started up again for me, so I may not be able to keep writing at this pace, but I’ll certainly try! Also my ADHD brain has trouble remembering things I’ve already written, so I apologize for any inconsistencies!
> 
> I introduce a couple new and specific conflicts this chapter, but we still won’t actually see zombies until next chapter. I hope you enjoy this chapter regardless! 
> 
> (Also, without giving too much away for the future of this fic, do not count out the possibility of seeing other teams in this AU )

"Sugawara! Daichi! Wake up!"

The panicked voice was enough to slice through Suga's deep slumber. His mind and body were immediately alert. Years of jolting awake in terror had honed his reaction time for these kinds of occasions to a point that was kind of impressive and definitely unhealthy. Suga shot up into a sitting position, whipping his head around to find the source of the voice. He felt Daichi sitting up more than he saw him, clearly still struggling to shake off the sleep. 

Frantic footsteps could be heard over the rain _-it was still raining? Shouldn't they be safe-_ and Suga's eyes fell on Hinata scrambling towards him with tears in his eyes. The smaller boy opened his arms and slammed into Suga with enough force to drive the breath from him, but Suga was throwing his arms around him with just as much force, instinctively holding him tightly to his chest. Hinata was trying to say something, babbling nonsense in his panic, and Suga was finally able to catch a few words.

"-he, he was like _AHH!_ And I-I just went _BANG_ into a shelf while I tried, I tried to help him be like _WOOSH-_ "

"Hinata, boke! He can't understand you!" Kageyama appeared suddenly, scowling down at the two, and Suga gazed up at him, silently begging for him or _anyone_ to just _tell him what was wrong-_

Then, he heard it. The painful retching noises from the back of the pharmacy. 

Noya.

Sugawara was on his feet instantly, shushing Hinata and gently but firmly prying his fingers from his jacket. He turned around and passed the redhead off to Daichi, who nodded somberly and pulled the younger boy in close. Suga slid past Kageyama and made his way to the back. As he passed, he saw the rest of the group was either stirring awake or sitting up and watching with curious eyes. 

The retching stopped just as Suga approached. Nishinoya was awake now, but looked for all the life of him like he shouldn't be. He had always been a very compact guy at 5'3", and he hadn’t grown an inch since they met him, but he never seemed that small until now. Noya's face was alarmingly pale as sweat dripped from his feverish skin. He was hunched over a pool of vomit just _trembling_ with the effort of breathing and moving while Ennoshita rubbed his back and mumbled soothing words. Sugawara forced his hands not to shake. They needed him to be strong. 

The teen knelt beside the two, smoothing Noya's sweat soaked bangs away from his face as it twisted in pain. "Tell me what's going on," he said. 

Ennoshita opened his mouth, but Noya beat him to the punch, speaking his first real words in days. "H-hurts....ah, chest hurts, Suga, and I'm hot but I-I'm still shivering," he croaked, and Suga nodded slowly, looking at Ennoshita's wary face over his head. 

"Can you grab the water bottle from my bag?" He asked Ennoshita. The younger teen hesitated, and Suga rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know it's my last one, but I'll be fine until the next store. Noya's going to be really dehydrated now." 

Ennoshita was up and gone at the mention of dehydration, and Suga was grateful once again for how reliable he was. Noya's body jerked in his hold as he gagged again, trying to throw up, but there didn't seem to be anything left to throw up. Suga carefully guided the exhausted boy to lay back down, this time on his side. Ennoshita returned with the bottle, and together he and Suga sat Noya up and managed to coax him into drinking half the bottle before he just turned away. He refused to drink anymore. 

Sickness in the old world was something they could laugh about. Suga remembered coming down with a bad cold one time, and Daichi brought over some of his mom's homemade soup. He'd teased him for catching a cold the entire time, and Suga had laughed along with him because he really had looked funny wrapped in a blanket with his nose bright red and runny. It was a minor inconvenience at best. An excuse to stay home and play video games in his boxers. 

But the fact of the matter was that now, with no doctor to visit, something very simple could take any of them out. 

They had been sure it was just a cold when Noya got sick. Then, they suspected the flu. Now, as he tucked Tanaka's jacket back around the small teen, he wasn't sure anymore. And being unsure could be a death sentence. 

————

The sun was streaming through the windows of the pharmacy within the hour, and while the rain had slowed to a drizzle, it had yet to stop. Suga sat with Noya while Ennoshita finished packing up all the medications and first aid supplies they could find. 

"How is he?"

The voice was deep and timid. Suga smiled a bit, not looking up from Noya's resting face. "Hi, Asahi. Sit down?" 

There was heavy silence before Suga heard the man settling down beside him. He looked up to see Asahi's watery brown eyes staring sadly at Noya's face. His lip trembled as he reached out and ghosted a hand over Noya's cheek.

The relationship between Noya and Asahi had been a really interesting one for Suga to watch develop. They'd found Noya when they broke into an old apartment in search of food. The first impression the group had of the fiery teen was him tackling Daichi to the ground and holding a knife to his throat. Asahi had been the one they needed to talk him down, much to the gentle giant's horror. But it had worked like a charm for Noya to see that the group meant him no harm and would leave immediately if he let their leader go.

To this day Suga couldn't be sure why, but for some reason, Noya had let them in. He seemed to be fixated on Asahi, asking him question after question and just generally overwhelming the brunette. Suga had whistled innocently and pretended not to notice his friend's eyes pleading for help. It was too funny to watch this kid follow him around. 

Noya was loud, overconfident, and unbothered. He didn't ask to join the group on their travels, he announced that he was going to. Surprisingly, it was Asahi who shyly raised his hand and expressed that he should be allowed to stay. Daichi had exchanged a glance with Suga, who looking back, probably had a shit eating grin on his face. Daichi had just shook his head fondly and welcomed Noya to the group. 

Suga took Asahi's free hand and linked their fingers. "I won't lie to you. I'm not really sure what happens next. Ennoshita gave him medicine, but he didn't keep it down last time," he murmured. He felt Asahi's fingers tighten around his own and squeezed back in reassurance. 

Asahi sighed. "Are we moving out today?" He asked, pulling away from Suga's grip and reaching up to pull the elastic band from his hair. He ran his fingers through the dark mess to get some of the tangles out before re-tying his bun. Suga shrugged.

"Haven't had a chance to speak with Daichi. I'm kind of hoping we can stay until it's a bit drier out there. Cold and wet conditions aren't good for Noya, or any of us," he said. Suga knew they were lucky to have jackets and layers, but that didn't mean he liked being out there. 

The group was completely awake now, save for Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, still snoring soundly. "Huh?! No way, how did they sleep through all of that?!" Tanaka demanded, staring at the two in awe while pointing an accusing finger. 

Kiyoko huffed as she slipped her glasses back onto her face. "Deep sleepers, I guess. Hey, Hinata," she called, and the boy practically leaped to attention at the sound of his name, whipping around to stare at her. 

"A-ah, yes?"

Kiyoko stared at him cooly. "Good call, checking on Noya. We might not have been awake in time to help if you hadn't woken us up," he praised. Hinata lit up like a Christmas tree, his cheeks growing pink as he grinned. 

With everyone calming down, Suga left Noya with Asahi and went to find Daichi. He successfully managed to pull the leader of the group away without anyone questioning him, dragging him by the wrist to the bathroom in the back. Daichi let himself be dragged away with no more than a snort of laughter. He seemed more amused by Suga's antics than anything else.

Sugawara turned and shut the door behind them, twisting the small lock. With no chance of the rest of the group seeing him, Suga allowed himself to slouch, the forced confidence leaving his stance completely as he turned to Daichi and buried his face in his neck. Strong arms wrapped around him, letting Suga melt into the hold. Warm lips touched his temple.

"You're an angel, you know that?" Daichi sighed into his hair. Suga laughed weakly. The both of them knew he was anything but that. He used to instigate arguments between their upperclassman back when they were in volleyball club, just because he thought it was entertaining. Daichi had scolded him many times for pulling things like that, and given the smile he felt against his skin, Daichi seemed to remember, too.

He let a hand slide up under Suga's shirt, just resting there. Feeling the warmth of Suga's skin. "Okay, yeah. You like to stress me out. More like a devil. But a sweet one," he said. Suga kissed the side of his neck once, just a brush of his lips against Daichi's skin.

The two stood there for a few minutes simply holding each other. They were the kind of pair that clicked almost instantly, save for a few stupid arguments in first year that were sort of inevitable, considering that they both had such strong personalities. But the chemistry was there. Suga knew they had a deeper relationship than others even before the tragedy. If things had never gone so terribly, they probably would be one of the high school couples everyone talks about. The third years that had been together for as long as anyone could remember. Maybe they'd have gone on movie dates, laughed through the entire thing, and made out in the car before Daichi dropped him off at home, leaving them both with happy little butterflies in their stomachs for the rest of the night. 

Suga wished he could give Daichi the love story he deserved. 

Daichi pulled away, and Suga caught himself before he did anything stupid like hold him tighter and refuse to let go. He pulled away and ran a hand through his hair, trying to compose himself. "Okay, what's our plan?" 

Daichi narrowed his eyes in thought. "I was thinking we could move out in a couple hours and see if we can find any stores or anything first. I think Kageyama is about to eat Hinata. Then I'd like to find the most secure place we can to rest for a few days." He explained. Suga frowned, thinking back to Noya's condition.

"Would it be wise to move Nishinoya? Especially in this weather....what if he gets worse?" Suga stressed. 

Daichi raised a brow. "He's _already_ getting worse. That's why I want to get him a safer and more comfortable place to recover. We need more food and water to help him, and we can't risk leaving him. Or splitting up for that long."

It made sense. But Suga was still nervous. They had been insanely lucky the past two years, because regardless of all the close calls, the unthinkable had not happened to anyone from their group. Suga was terrified that he might have to watch Noya die. Asahi and Tanaka would lose their minds with grief, and poor Hinata would be more traumatized than he already was from losing his parents and sister. He couldn't allow it to happen. 

Suga took a deep breath. He straightened his back, trying to look strong again. "Okay," he smiled, and Daichi leaned in to kiss him on the lips at last. It was quick and innocent, but it was enough to have Suga grinning with a bit more honesty when he pulled away, “Let’s pack up, boss.”

——-

The group had mixed feelings about moving already.

“What? But...we haven’t had a secure place in so long. Can’t we stay another night?” Yamaguchi asked hesitantly, wrapping his arms around himself protectively. The two had apparently woke up while their leaders were talking. Suga didn’t get a chance to answer before Tsukishima clicked his tongue. The blonde pushed his glasses, taped in the middle, farther up his nose. 

“I agree with Tadashi. I understand moving on in a few days, but one more night shouldn’t make a difference.” 

“Whaaat? But I’m hungry! Aren’t you guys hungry, too? We’re running low, I heard Tanaka say so!” Hinata butted in, _once again_ , before Suga could get a word in. The former setter frowned and opened his mouth, only to be interrupted for the third time as Kageyama whacked Hinata upside the head. 

“Boke! Leave the talking to people who know what they’re talking about!” He huffed, scowling at the three. Yamaguchi seemed to tense at the jab, and Tsukishima outright sneered.

“Such a king, aren’t you?” He mocked. Kageyama clenched his fists tightly by his side as the taller teen continued. “You just don’t care what anyone else thinks, huh? Just you and your desperate need for approval,” he spat. Kageyama looked furious at the accusing words. Even Yamaguchi looked at his friend with surprise. 

The freckled teen lightly touched the blonde’s arm. “T-Tsukki...” he warned. Kageyama took a step towards the two. Suga rushed forward, planting himself between the group and glaring at each of them. Kageyama startled, his eyes widening. His face paled as if just remembering that everyone had seen that interaction. 

Suga shoved a palm in both directions. “Cut it out! Fighting is the least useful thing we can do,” he hissed. Tsukishima snorted, lifting his chin defiantly. 

“Oh? Does nobody get a say in group decisions other than you and Daichi?” He tilted his head. Suga was more flustered than he cared to admit. He’d grown so used to being a leader that he fell into the role alongside Daichi naturally. But it had been a while since somebody had questioned him so aggressively and looked at him with such doubt. 

Suga narrowed his eyes dangerously. “You didn’t give us a chance to talk about it,” he shot back. 

Yamaguchi had clearly grown more and more distressed throughout the confrontation. He tugged nervously on Tsukishima’s shirt. “C’mon, Tsukki. Let it go,” he pleaded. Tsukishima leveled a long stare at Suga, who held it just as fiercely. Tsukishima glanced to Daichi, who was poised to jump in if he needed to. The brunette set his jaw stubbornly. 

“We’re going. That’s final. We need food, and we need warmer clothes, too,” he said. Tsukishima sighed heavily.

“ _Fine._ See if we give our input again,” he muttered. He allowed Yamaguchi to pull him away and towards their bags, the two putting their heads together and whispering as soon as they turned around. Suga breathed for what felt like the first time in a few minutes. 

Kageyama was glaring at the floor with red cheeks. “S-sh-rry....sorry,” he mumbled. The silent tension was thick in the air, only broken by Hinata ramming into Kageyama’s side. 

“That’s not how you say sorry, stupid!”

“Shut up! This is your fault, anyway!”

“What?! I didn’t even start it!”

“Enough, both of you!” Daichi snapped, and the two shut up. They ended up having some sort of half-hearted poking contest. Suga shook his head at them, feeling a headache coming on already. Being the responsible one sucked. He’d much rather join in the poking contest. Maybe he should have tried to just rock-paper-scissors the issue away. 

Suga squeezed past the small crowd their group had formed during the argument, only to be blocked by Yachi. The tiny blonde was trembling, her eyes averted as always. Suga nearly stumbled back with sheer shock with she stretched her arm up, patting his shoulder as quickly as she could before snatching her arm back.

Yachi had very bad anxiety, yes. But Suga also knew that she had pretty significant trouble interacting with men. They frightened her a lot, especially when they were much bigger than her. He suspected there was more than he knew to her backstory. Hell, he hardly knew anything. She was so new to the group. 

But still, her touching him was...pretty major. 

Yachi looked ready to run. “I...please take care of yourself, Sugawara!” She cried, and her voice was shaky. There was a certain strength to it though. She meant what she said. 

Suga was touched, his heart twisting painfully. “Ah, you too, Yachi,” he smiled. She returned it, and it was wobbly. But he was still pleased to see her making progress.

Truthfully, it made him all the more determined to lead better. He hated that Tsukishima was upset with him, and probably Yamaguchi too. He hated that Noya was sick and he wasn’t sure if he’d made the right call. But there were so many of them, with so much room for growth and healing, and he couldn’t stay still for even a moment. They had to keep moving.

It took an hour for everyone to finish packing up. They took anything that could be useful, and bundled up with any clothes they had as they prepared to set off again. It was still cold and barely drizzling, but there was no telling when it would stop. They might as well head out. Daichi double-checked that everyone was ready.

They would travel as always. Daichi took the lead, and Suga would trail slightly after him with Hinata and Kageyama. Kiyoko and Yachi would follow after. Tanaka would usually take up the head with their leader, but he and Asahi walked together in the middle, planning to take turns carrying Noya on their backs. Ennoshita kept pace with them, monitoring Noya in case anything changed for the worse. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi would usually be near Suga and help him look around, but this time, they took up the rear of the group. 

They were off. Out in the open until they reached their next secure location. It was only a matter of time before they came across any of the changed.


	3. The Neighborhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga and Daichi lead the group away from the pharmacy and out into the world again. They have to make a decision on where they will go, and ultimately, split up the group. Suga is doubtful this is the right path, but he goes along with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: THIS CHAPTER IS WHERE THE GRAPHIC VIOLENCE BEGINS! It is descriptive and it’s important that you all stay safe, so please heed the warnings in the tags. <3
> 
> If you’re reading, I hope you enjoy this chapter! We get our first zombie encounter this chapter. Please excuse any inconsistencies or errors, this story has no beta and I’m very busy with school. Thank you for all the support!

The sun finally came out at as the day stretched into the afternoon. 

Sugawara was relieved to be free from the light drizzle that had persisted the past few hours as they walked through abandoned neighborhoods, searching for a home or a store that hadn't already been ransacked or destroyed. They'd had little luck as of yet.

Daichi paused as the group came to the end of the street. The road split like a T. Suga slid a hand up the other's back, idly rubbing across his shoulder blades as he peered down each street. "Left takes us towards another neighborhood. Right takes us towards the bridge and the city, if I'm right," he offered. Daichi bit his lip as he considered their options. 

"There's always more changed towards the cities," he said slowly. 

Suga nodded. "True. But there's also more stuff we need there," he pointed out. Daichi fell deeper into thought, mumbling to himself under his breath. Suga snickered at his boyfriend. He patted his back before turning to take inventory of the rest of the group, the majority of which had flopped down on the ground to rest their aching feet. 

Hinata was sitting crisscross on the street. He scowled down at his foot and flicked the sole of his shoe where it was peeling away. "Stupid shoe. How can it fail at being a shoe? That's it's only job," He complained. Yachi peeked over from a few feet away, gaping at the offending garment. 

"Oh, jeez! Can we glue it?" She suggested shyly. Hinata's face swung towards her with a gasp and stars in his eyes. He looked as if she had just spouted gospel instead of a simple suggestion. Yachi squeaked at the intensity of the attention and grabbed Kiyoko's hand, and the dark-haired girl took it without even looking up from picking dirt from under her nail. 

" _Guahhh!_ You're so smart!" Hinata cried excitedly, jumping to his feet. "Tanaka! Do you have glue?" He took off to where the older boy was sat on the curb. Suga leaned over and hastily pulled Kageyama out of the redhead's path by his sleeve. 

Suga snorted. "I wonder where he gets all that energy sometimes," he shook his head. Kageyama stood stiffly beside him, his usual intense expression twisted into something slightly confused. The tall teen had seemed awkward when interacting with people for as long as Suga had known him. It was sort of sad. He was clearly a great kid. He just...had a lot of strong feelings, but no clue how quite to express them.

Kageyama nodded jerkily. Suga released his sleeve. From a short distance away, he could hear Hinata's end of the conversation with Tanaka.

"Yes, superglue would work great!"

...

" _Huh?!_ Then why did you ask if superglue would work?!"

Suga rolled his eyes, but he was grateful for Hinata's endless enthusiasm. When they got back into the neighborhoods or to the city, he knew the redhead would begrudgingly quiet down as much as he could. The changed were somehow sensitive to loud sounds, their hearing making up for what they lacked in eyesight. They were easy enough to outsmart, but they were dangerous because of how they would flock into large groups to feed. Encounters with even a single changed were never quiet, and the noise would only draw more and more of them.

A wheezing cough made Suga flinch. Asahi had settled down on the curb with his sick friend cradled in his lap. The brunette gazed sadly at Noya as coughs racked his entire body, unable to do anything more than tuck the jacket (Asahi's jacket, practically dwarfing Noya) tighter around his small frame. Noya was more aware than he had been in a couple days, but it hardly made a difference when he was too miserable to do anything but doze in and out. Suga pressed the back of his hand against Noya's forehead.

Yup. Burning with fever, just as he expected. Suga reached into his bag and pulled out the small bottle of fever reducers Ennoshita had given him. "He's kept down the water you've given him since leaving, right?" Suga asked. Asahi nodded, his lip trembling as Noya's coughing fit fully subsided. The exhausted teen groaned and leaned into Asahi's warmth. Suga would have teased the ace relentlessly for his darkening cheeks if the context were any different. 

"Here, get him to take one of these," Suga shook a pill into Asahi's palm. "No big drinks, just sips," he suggested. Asahi gave him a grateful look as he nudged a half-conscious Nishinoya, trying to coax him into taking the medicine. Suga headed back to Daichi to reconvene.

Daichi was muttering to himself as he approached. His eyes lit up when he saw Suga. "Weapons," he said calmly. 

The setter raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

Daichi gestured to the group. "Weapons. Going into the city isn't even an option until we have a way to protect ourselves." Suga smacked his forehead, astounded that he'd overlooked that. 

Before finding the pharmacy, Tanaka had killed a changed that tried to attack Yachi when they entered a house. There was a ruckus, and they had to leave when a hoard of changed stormed it. They'd left all of their weapons in the panic but Tanaka's small crowbar, tucked into his bag for now, and the knife Kiyoko carried on her belt loop.

The lack of weapons had been forgotten in the relief of finding the pharmacy, but now that he thought about it, Suga felt uncomfortably vulnerable. Going into the city wouldn't even be an option until they had the means to protect theirselves. Daichi and Suga both knew that. They didn't have any choice but to carefully make their way through the bigger neighborhood and look for anything they could use.

Suga sighed. "Okay. Let's rest for a while longer, and then we'll go check things out in the neighborhood," he suggested. Daichi scratched the back of his head, a nervous gesture that typically meant he had something to say but didn't want to piss Suga off. The setter jabbed Daichi in the ribs with two fingers, grinning at the yelp his attack elicited. 

"Spit it out, Dai. I can see right through you," he smirked. 

Daichi chuckled nervously, rubbing the spot that Suga had abused. "Ah, I don't think you'll agree with me," he explained and dodged another strike from Suga's fingers. Suga pouted dramatically and went in for yet another jab. Daichi's hand caught his wrist. "Okay, okay, fine! Mercy, Sugawara," he complained. 

The gray-haired setter pulled his hands away. He set them on his hips with satisfaction. Daichi just looked relieved he was keeping them to himself. "I was thinking that we should send a group ahead to scout the area in the neighborhood. I don't want to get too far and end up having nowhere to stay when it gets dark..." he explained cautiously.

Suga's lips twitched downwards. His thick brows drew close together as he considered the suggestion. It took a lot of self-restraint to not instantly shoot it down. Splitting up was dangerous. They had to do it fairly often, but Suga managed to hound Daichi for it every time without fail. He usually felt a bit guilty for it later, but the heavy dread and worry outweighed any of that in the moment. 

...but, he understood. It went unsaid. Suga understood that Noya's condition had Daichi more hesitant than usual to be out at night. He had no doubt that if they couldn't find a secure place to stay, Daichi would turn the group around and herd them all the way back to the pharmacy. That would likely get many complaints though. He couldn't even imagine what Tsukishima would say. 

Suga clenched his fists by his sides. His nails dug into his palms, sure to leave little crescent-shaped marks on his skin. He groaned, defeated. "Ugh, fine. You're right. Who will go?" 

Daichi took Suga's fists into his hands, pulling them up and pushing them together. Suga cocked his head in confusion, only for his heart to melt a little when Daichi started to rub them between his own palms, blowing warm air onto them in an effort to chase away the cold. Suga knew his heartstrings were being plucked like a guitar, but he grinned anyway. Daichi caught his gaze and smiled right back, kissing Suga's knuckles once before he let go. The tanned brunette may have been wrapped around his finger, but Suga wasn't arrogant enough to pretend like he wasn't the exact same way. 

"Not sure. I figure we'll ask the group and see who volunteers," Daichi said. 

When Suga clapped to get everyone’s attention and Daichi started explaining, everyone seemed surprised by the plan of splitting up. Suga made it abundantly clear how much he didn’t like it. But at the mention of finding things to protect their selves with, the mood seemed to shift into a more optimistic one. 

“I’ll go,” Kiyoko spoke first, surprising everyone. Her cheeks turned pink at all the attention. “I don’t feel right sitting here. I do that enough as it is. I’d like to help,” she said softly. Suga had to turn away to not get visibly emotional. Their Kiyoko was full of heart.

Tanaka, on the other hand, appeared to be openly weeping. “You’re so brave, Kiyoko! I’m coming, too! I’ll protect you and the others with all I’ve got!” He wailed, throwing his arms in the air. Kiyoko wrinkled her nose at the volume while Hinata began bouncing up and down, his enthusiasm being stoked by the display. 

Tanaka whipped around and pointed a finger at Asahi. The brunette flinched at the sudden movement, his eyes stretching wide with panic. “You!” Tanaka shouted. Asahi pointed shakily at himself, mirroring Tanaka’s gesture. The rowdy teenager grinned at him. “Take care of our Noya! I’ll kick your ass if you don’t!” Asahi squeaked at the threat, frantically nodding as he clutched a snoozing Nishinoya closer to his chest. 

The exchange had Suga hiding a laugh behind his hand. Poor Asahi looked ready to bolt at the pressure being put on him, but Suga knew that Ennoshita would help him keep a watchful eye. 

Daichi nodded. “Right, anyone else? A few more people?”

Tsukishima raised a hand. “Tadashi and I will go.”

Even Daichi couldn’t hide his surprise, his eyebrows raised high. Suga was sure he did an even worse job, his mouth actually falling open for a second. He quickly snapped it shut when he realized. It was strange that they would volunteer so readily after the disagreement earlier. Maybe this was their way of compromise?

....Suga wasn’t sure. He couldn’t help the doubt gnawing away in his stomach. The stubborn glint was still in Tsukishima’s eyes, a slight smirk sitting on his lips as he gazed at the leaders of the group. Yamaguchi, on the other hand, seemed nervous. He fiddled with his fingers as he stared at his shoes, glancing sideways at his friend every so often before looking away again.

Suga trusted them. He did. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t worried about them trying something stupid to prove whatever it is they felt like they needed to prove. 

Daichi nodded slowly. “Alright. Kiyoko, Tanaka, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi-”

“-and me~” Suga interrupted with the sweetest smile he could muster. Daichi looked at him with confusion. The setter shrugged. “One of us needs to stay here with the others. You should stay and help watch the terror twins,” he suggested. 

Daichi’s confusion only grew. “Who?” Suga pointed to where Hinata was daring Kageyama to eat a leaf, and the tall teen actually seemed to be considering it as the redhead called him a chicken. Daichi looked like he was aging just watching them.

The brunette sighed, bringing his fingers to his temple. “Please, be careful. Don’t take any chances. I need you to come back safe,” He said. Suga softened at the earnest look in his eyes. He smiled again, genuinely this time. 

“I will. I’ll keep them safe. You can count on me,” he promised. Tsukishima loudly cleared his throat, and Suga remembered that they weren’t alone. He shot the tall blonde a huge grin, who appeared to instantly regret his decision. 

Kiyoko pulled the knife out of her belt loop and handed it to Daichi. “There. In case you guys get into any trouble,” she said. 

Daichi took it gratefully. “Thank you, Kiyoko. What about you guys?”

“I have a crowbar!” Tanaka’s booming voice rang out enthusiastically.

“He has a crowbar,” Kiyoko deadpanned. 

———————

After everyone grabbed their backpacks, Suga led his group towards the neighborhood. Kiyoko walked directly behind him, peering around at the broken down houses that began to come into view. Suga glanced behind her and saw Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, bringing up the rear of their small group. The blonde seemed not to be paying much attention to their surroundings, but Suga noted how he tugged Yamaguchi out of the path of a pothole while the freckled teen was looking elsewhere. 

Relieved, Suga turned back around. Tanaka was walking just ahead of the group with his crowbar in his hand. The cracked roads they traveled along were mostly safe, but the overgrown houses and space between where nature was slowly reclaiming this neighborhood was harder to count on. 

“The garage to that house is open,” Kiyoko pointed out. Suga followed her line of sight and saw the wide open garage. Tanaka beamed. 

“Yes! Good eye, Kiyoko!” 

She shrugged. The group carefully approached the garage, letting Tanaka peek around the corners of before he excitedly waved them in. 

The tension bled out of Suga’s shoulders as he saw nothing threatening inside. His attention was brought to the car that still sat inside before anything else. It was dusty and most likely not in the right condition to drive...not that Suga would ever risk starting an engine up in an unfamiliar place like this. But looking the car, he found himself missing sitting behind the wheel. He remembered driving to Daichi’s house in the middle of the night after getting his license. Pulling up in his mom’s horribly outdated car, throwing rocks at his bedroom window like a scene out of a cliche romance movie. Daichi’s exasperated but fond smile that night was one of his favorite things to recall about the old world. 

Shaking off the memories, Suga walked up to the dirty driver’s window of the car and cupped his hands over his eyes, squinting as he pressed them to the window. It was too clouded and dark to see inside. He couldn’t tell if they were tinted or just that grimy. 

“Tsukki, look!” Yamaguchi’s excited voice called out. Suga turned around to see him holding a machete. He was standing near a pile of old tools for yard work. 

Tsukishima clicked his tongue. “Don’t wave that thing around,” he muttered. Yamaguchi wasn’t discouraged. He simply smiled and turned back to continue looking for more weapons. 

Suga looked back to the car and glanced down at the handle. Maybe it was unlocked? There might be things they could use in there. He tried again to peer inside, huffing with frustration when he still saw nothing. He put his hands on his hips, weighing his options.

“What’s up, Suga?” Tanaka called. The silver-haired setter chewed the inside of his mouth in consideration. 

“Is it worth prying open this car door if it’s locked? Or do you think the alarm still works?” He finally asked. The last thing they needed was an alarm drawing all the changed in the area right to them. Tanaka jumped at the chance to reassure him that he could get the door open with no problem. Suga rolled his eyes. He was pretty sure Tanaka just wanted to use the crowbar. 

Without hesitating any further, Suga grabbed the door handle and tugged. To his immense surprise, it opened quite easily. 

Before he could even process what was in front of him, there was a hideous gurgling sound and teeth snapped barely an inch away from his face.

Suga shrieked in alarm as he tried to jumped backwards, but an inhumanly fierce grip snagged his wrist. The smell of rotting flesh and _death_ hit Suga in the face, making his eyes water, and he fought the urge to throw up from disgust and panic. Behind him, he heard Kiyoko scream.

“Oh, _shit!_ ” Tanaka cursed as he grabbed Suga around the middle, trying to pull him out of the grip of the changed that was still buckled into the driver’s seat. The seatbelt strained to hold it back as it tried with all it’s might to yank Suga’s arm in reach of it’s teeth. 

The setter screamed again as his arm was jerked so fiercely that he heard something pop. He vaguely heard Yamaguchi shouting something, but the sudden wave of pain made it fuzzy. Suga clawed at the door and tried to slam it shut on the changed’s arm. It put a shield between his flesh and it’s teeth, but the grip didn’t seem to loosen. 

Yamaguchi appeared in front of him, and Suga saw the blade of the machete glint in the dim light of the garage as he swung it down into the arm of the changed. It cut halfway through the diseased flesh and the bone was now visible. Suga heard Tsukishima gag behind them. Yamaguchi’s freckled face was splattered with the changed one’s thick blood, his eyes wide and afraid as he brought the machete down again, this time hard enough that it cut _completely_ through it’s arm. The changed’s hand lost it’s grip on Suga’s wrist, sending him and Tanaka sprawling backwards on top of each other. The severed hand fell to the ground.

Vaguely, Suga understood what was happening as Tsukishima rushed forward and slammed the car door the rest of the way shut. Mostly, the setter just clutched at his wrist, sure now that it was out of socket. He rolled off of Tanaka, muttering an apology as he tried to get his bearings. 

“Sugawara, are you alright?” Kiyoko breathed as she knelt next to him. He was still panting, out of breath from the adrenaline, and felt drained as it began to die down. He nodded slowly. 

Tanaka moved to sit next to Kiyoko. Suga winced as the younger teen grabbed his wrist a little more roughly than he should have and forcefully rolled up his sleeve. Checking for a bite. He couldn’t hold it against Tanaka. 

Tanaka sighed. He released Suga’s wrist, putting both hands on his head as he practically melted with relief. No bite. “Thank god. That was a close one.”

“Too close,” Tsukishima snapped. Suga looked up to see him glaring at them. He turned pointedly away. Frustration had Suga’s eyes burning. _No_ , he couldn’t let them see how shaken he was. He pushed himself to his knees with his good hand.

His wrist was already swelling a bit. He scowled down at it, knowing exactly what he needed to do and knowing how badly it would hurt. “Tanaka...” he started. He swallowed nervously. “We need to get out of here. Made a lot of noise. But-...once we get somewhere safe, I need you to set my wrist for me.”


	4. The Treehouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga and his small group manage to find cover in the neighborhood to set his wrist. Tanaka and Tsukishima argue, and we understand Tanaka’s motivations a little more. Suga continues to feel as if his leadership is more hindrance than help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally, an update! Also, IMPORTANT INFORMATION: since I will be including the other teams eventually, I’ll kind of be using little regard for where they are located distance-wise in canon. I plan that there will be some who have traveled together, but others I likely just won’t acknowledge how they got where they are. I am the writer so I am the God of Chaos. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Thank you for your continued support, and I hope you enjoy the little seed of foreshadowing I planted >:)

The sounds of Sugawara's struggle had, indeed, drawn more changed to the area.

The setter led the way out of the garage. The blast of fresh, frigid air brought him more clarity. His injured wrist was held close to his chest as he quickly surveyed the area. He stopped suddenly in his tracks and threw his uninjured arm out to keep the others behind him. There were two of the changed shambling towards the house, coming from the group’s original direction.

Tanaka spluttered behind him. "Wha- shit! Do we kill them?" He whispered fiercely. Suga instantly shook his head.

"No. We still don't have enough weapons for me to comfortably-"

"I can do it," Yamaguchi whispered. Suga whipped his head around to stare at the freckled teen who only had eyes for the changed that were stumbling along the road, getting closer every second. Suga realized the machete was still in Yamaguchi's hand. His knuckles were white, his hands trembling. 

Suga shook his head again, sharper this time. "No. You...just had a big scare, Yamaguchi. I can't let you do that. We'll continue like we planned farther into the neighborhood. We'll just stay quiet, okay?" 

Yamaguchi opened his mouth again, but nothing came out. He slowly closed it, and Suga realized that Tsukishima had carefully taken the machete from his friend's hands. _Good._ Suga didn't want him trying to be a hero when he'd just had to save his ass. Some leader he was, huh?

With no arguments, Suga lowered his arm, and the group began to creep back towards the road. He held his breath as they moved. The soft crunching of the gravel driveway under their feet seemed like it could be a dinner bell for the changed, but it wasn't loud enough to alert the two rotting figures that shambled slowly towards them. 

There was a light tug on Suga's jacket. Kiyoko had stopped down and grabbed a large rock, which she now held in one hand as she pointed towards one of the broken down houses they'd passed earlier. She was pointing directly at the window, miraculously unbroken, and the setter instantly understood. A diversion. Suga could have kissed her face with gratitude, but then it'd have probably been his head that the rock was smashed against. 

The group paused as Kiyoko narrowed her eyes behind her cracked glasses, lightly tossing the rock between her palms a few time as she considered the weight. Suga shifted uncomfortably as his wrist throbbed. He bit his lip and forced himself to be still and wait patiently. After another moment, the dark haired girl pulled her her arm back and threw the rock with as much force as she could. It crashed through the window, instantly shattering the glass with a thunderous noise.

The changed came alive. Their hungry and garbled groans grew loud with excitement as they whipped around and stumbled eagerly towards the source of the racket with unsteady legs. Suga shuddered when he saw that there was actually a knife _already_ sticking out of one of their backs, the handle jutting out invitingly. Somebody hadn't been lucky enough to escape these creatures. 

Tanaka had also noticed the knife. He took a step towards the changed, but Tsukishima blocked him. "Are you crazy?!" The blonde hissed venomously. Tanaka opened his mouth, probably to shout at him, but quieted instantly when Suga grabbed his arm with his good hand. 

"Leave it. Please. I'm counting on you to help me, Tanaka," Suga whispered desperately. Yeah, maybe he was laying it on a little thick. It worked like a charm, though, and Tanaka stood straighter at his words. 

"You can count on me. Let's go," he responded with a voice that was uncharacteristically soft. Suga nodded and, with one last glance to be sure the changed were preoccupied, turned and started walking further down the road with the group clustered close together, keeping their eyes peeled for any more of the changed. 

As they made their way down the road, peering around at the houses that had been long since broken into and likely stripped bare of anything useful, Suga tried to organize his thoughts. He'd never actually dislocated anything. The most experience he had with this scenario was the things he'd seen on TV years ago. It seemed easy enough, all Tanaka had to do was just yank it back into place. Suga found himself huffing out a soft laugh as the voice in the back of his head (that sounded a lot like Ennoshita) shouted at him that it was much more complex than that. 

Kiyoko fell into step beside him. Her gentle fingers reached up and tucked a bit of silver hair behind his ear, and if Suga leaned a little too desperately into the touch, she was polite enough not to say anything. She smiled at him, her own silent form of affection tugging at Suga's already shaken heartstrings. The setter had to look away in order to resist the urge to pull her into a hug, knowing she didn't appreciate gestures like that. 

Kiyoko was his family. They all were. He would do anything to keep them safe. Hell, he'd already done things he was far from proud of, but he'd commit atrocities against mankind if it meant his family was safe and alive.

"Treehouse."

The sudden murmur from Yamaguchi had everyone pausing. Sugawara turned and saw that he had stopped a few feet behind them, staring into the yard of a particularly haggard looking house. The windows were all busted out, the door hanging off it's hinges. If he squinted, Suga could see a few cracked photo frames on a once-pretty hutch just inside, likely the remnants of what must have been a family shrine. Clearly it had once been a nice place, but had long since been abandoned and torn apart by survivors. 

Yamaguchi lifted a hand, pointing upwards at a oak tree off to the side of the house. Suga bounced on his toes a few times when he spotted it. There was indeed a tree house. It would have been completely hidden by the leaves if not for the cold weather leaving the branches barren. “Good eye,” Kiyoko praised. 

Suga led the way, squeezing between the overgrown shrubs that separated the yard from the street and picking through the clumps of weeds as he approached the tree. The ladder was made of worn rope. A strong tug with his good hand helped to settle Suga’s doubt as the rope held up.

The setter spluttered as Tanaka pushed his way between him and the ladder, patting his back with bruising force. “Let me up first, Boss. We might not be the first to have this idea,” he suggested. Tsukishima clicked his tongue, speaking up once more. 

“We should just head back and let Ennoshita set your wrist. If we leave now, we’ll get back in time to go back to the pharmacy for the night,” he insisted. Tanaka whipped around to glare at the blonde, practically snarling at him. He jabbed his pointer finger into Tsukishima’s chest, and the blonde narrowed his eyes dangerously.

“What’s with you and that fuckin’ pharmacy, man?! You like being holed up? You like just sitting there and wasting away?” He growled. 

Tsukishima smiled thinly. But...Sugawara couldn’t see any real enjoyment behind it. It was as if Tsukishima didn’t even _like_ confrontation, but for some reason, he still fed off of it. He was comfortable with it. 

“What I like-” he sneered, “-is being _safe._ There’s no point risking our lives more than we have to-”

“YEAH, WELL NOYA _ISN’T_ SAFE!”

Everyone but the two facing off stiffened at the volume of Tanaka’s shout. Suga and Yamaguchi made to step between the two at the exact same moment. A grip on both of their wrists held them back, and Suga fought back a gasp at the pain, because Kiyoko had mistakenly seized his injured wrist in her haste to stop them. 

Kiyoko swore under her breath. “Shit, sorry Suga. But you should let them finish.” Yamaguchi made a disstressed noise, but the older girl shushed him and continued. “We’ll be able to take cover in the treehouse in a sec, but if they don’t get this out now it’ll just keep happening, and nowhere will be safe.”

Suga peered up at Tsukishima’s face, and it seemed even he had faltered. His cold expression had cracked, and for once, he seemed to struggle to find words. He never got the chance to speak before Tanaka was jabbing his finger harder into his chest, stretching his neck up to get in his face. 

“My best fucking friend is really sick, and he’s not getting better! I’m not fucking _stupid_ , I know that he might die if we don’t find somewhere warm and safe for him to get better!” Tanaka’s voice cracked through his yell. Suga shuddered at the pain in his friend’s voice. He hadn’t seen Tanaka this vulnerable since they first took him into the group, right after he got separated from his sister in a hoard. The choked sob that shook his shoulders broke Suga’s heart. Clearly, he was remembering as well. He gripped Tsukishima’s shirt in his fists. “...I can’t lose him, man...he’s like my brother. I don’t give a shit if you’re scared. Suck it up and shut your fucking mouth. We’re gonna finish the job we volunteered to do and strip this neighborhood fucking _bare_ for weapons. Then, we’re going into the city and finding a way to get him better.”

Silence followed Tanaka’s speech, broken only by his own shaky panting. He released the tall teen’s shirt and stepped back. Tsukishima stared down at him blankly. Nothing. 

Yamaguchi cleared his throat. “Uh...Tsukki. W-What should we-”

“Fine. We’ll stay.” Tsukishima muttered. “Just don’t get us killed.”

Thank god. Suga felt like he was going to crash soon with the way his adrenaline kept amping up and dying down so rapidly. Kiyoko audibly sighed with relief behind him. Honestly, he could not agree with her more. 

Tanaka sniffed. He lifted an arm to swipe furiously at his eyes, and then squared his shoulders. “R-right. Then let’s go in. The changed could be on their way,” he said firmly.

“Who’s fault is that?” Suga blinked in surprise at the bitter mumble from Yamaguchi, so quiet that he knew he wasn’t meant to hear. He frowned at the freckled teen in concern. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima clearly had more going on than they let on. Reasons they acted the way they did. But if they didn’t make the choice to open up, then Suga couldn’t afford to keep worrying about it. It was a bridge he’d have to cross later. 

The rope ladder held Tanaka’s weight as he climbed up quickly, pausing when his head reached floor level to peer inside. He looked down at then and offered a shaking thumbs-up. “Clear. Come on up.” He scrambled inside. 

Suga made the climb slowly. It was uncomfortable to do it with one good arm, and he grunted with effort as he hailed himself over the edge and onto the floor of the treehouse with only one hand. He scooted towards the wall to make room and let his head fall backwards against the wood, squeezing his eyes shut. 

He’d led his fair share of disastrous trips before. It was one of the reasons he hated splitting up. But this one had to be the worst in months. His face screwed up as he realized how worried Daichi would be if they didn’t make it back tonight, which was shaping up to be more and more likely. His own stupidity had set their search back by several hours. The thought was enough to have him swallowing past a sudden lump in his throat, his eyes stinging behind his tightly shut lids. 

He was a terrible leader.

It took a moment for him to compose himself enough to open his eyes without tears of frustration spilling over. When he finally did, he saw Tsukishima climbing in last, pulling the rope up after him. He actually looked concerned when he saw Suga’s watery stare, a frown tugging his lips down. 

Suga looked away. He took in the treehouse, surprised to see that there wasn’t much going on. He had expected old toys and posters and such, but there was just a few books stacked in a corner, a few blankets thrown about, and a couple old pictures taped up on the wall. Suga squinted at the one nearest to him, a polaroid of two young boys grinning at the camera. The one with darker hair had a blue bandaid on his cheek, and the other boy was a brunette flashing a peace sign and a blinding smile. 

On the white space below the photo, the words _Tooru and Iwa-chan_ had been written neatly in blue pen. _Tooru_ had a line through it, and underneath in a much rougher scrawl than the previous handwriting, the word _Trashykawa_ was written in red pen. Suga actually laughed a bit. If they were the previous owners of the treehouse, he hoped they were still out there and okay somewhere. 

Tanaka knelt in front of Suga. “Okay...how should I do this?” He asked. Suga fought the urge to scoot far away from Tanaka and hide his wrist where nobody could touch it. He knew this was bound to hurt like hell, but it was his fault for letting it happen in the first place. Suga hesitantly stretched his arm out. Tanaka took it, avoiding his wrist for now. His fingers were always so shockingly gentle for someone of his nature. 

Suga swallowed nervously. “I- okay. Um.”

“Oh my god. Do any of us actually know how to do this?! Can’t there be permanent effects if we don’t do it right?!” Yamaguchi stressed. Tanaka paled at that, and Kiyoko put her palms up placatingly. 

“We’ll do the best we can with what we have. Suga, can you put your hand on the ground? Palm down,” she asked. Suga complied quickly, grateful for Kiyoko keeping her head cool and taking charge for him. He bit his lip to stifle a hiss of pain as he flattened his palm in the ground, using his good hand to arrange it how he needed. Forcing his wrist to bend was painful, and this wasn’t even the hard part. 

Kiyoko nodded. “Good.” She leaned over to peer out of the entrance, looking around carefully. “Okay. Somehow, it looks like Tanaka didn’t draw anymore changed close with his shouting. But even so, it might be best to stay quiet,” she said. Suga groaned in frustration. 

“Shit. Okay, yeah. I’ll be quiet,” he said firmly, setting his jaw in determination. 

Tanaka let his bag slide off his shoulders and quickly searched it’s contents. He grinned when he came up with an old bandana. “Aha! Here, Suga, bite down on this. It should make it easier,” he offered. The bandana looked pretty gross. Suga wrinkled his nose. 

“Ew. Gross, Tanaka.”

“What?! I’m trying to help you!” Tanaka gaped. Tsukishima hid a snicker behind a cough behind him, and Suga smiled weakly. 

“Ugh, fine. Give it.” He relented, reaching for the bandana. Kiyoko snorted.

“You’re really gonna put the STD rag in your mouth?” She managed to ask without laughing. 

Tanaka’s eyes widened in the most genuine display of offense Suga had ever witnessed. He clutched at his chest with a hand. “STD?! Kiyoko, I’m clean!” He cried. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi had to physically turn their backs to hide their faces, but Suga could see their shoulders shaking with laughter, and he broke into a fit of slightly hysterical giggles as well. It felt _good_ to have something to laugh at. Even Tanaka, who was now swearing on his life to Kiyoko that everything about him was clean, seemed to relax a bit as the tension finally fell away for a moment. 

Suga wiped a tear away, still fighting down chuckles. “Okay, okay. I believe you. I’m gonna bite down on it now, don’t make me laugh anymore or I’ll probably choke.” Suga folded the piece of fabric several times before he deemed it thick enough to find any relief in biting down on it. 

Kiyoko sobered up from her own giggle fit. “Okay. The best way I can think of to do this is to use one hand to hold Suga’s hand where it is. Make sure he doesn’t pull away. With your other hand, take his arm and pull sort of upwards, I think,” she explained. 

Suga thought it sounded horrific, but he knew he wouldn’t keep getting lucky and skating by with an injury like this. “Yes. And from what I’ve seen on TV, don’t pull consistently. You’re gonna want to give it one good pull, really fast. Pop it back into place,” he said. Tanaka nodded solemnly. 

“Okay. Are you ready?”

 _No._ “Yes,” Suga forced out before he put the folded up bandana between his teeth. Kiyoko took his free hand quickly and squeezed it tight. It was comforting, but also, he knew it was so he wouldn’t fight. Tanaka took a deep breath before he leaned forward and put a hand firmly on top of Suga’s, pinning it to the floor. Suga winced at the tug on his joint. Tanaka muttered an apology, taking a strong grip on the setter’s forearm just above his wrist. 

“Okay...I’m going to count to three,” He said. Suga’s heart was racing again, beating so hard in his chest that he was fighting back panic. He nodded his consent, and squeezed Kiyoko’s hand to the point that it must have been painful. 

“One...”

_Pop!_

Suga clamped down on the fabric in his mouth and let out a muffled scream through his gritted teeth, equal parts pain and shock. _Tanaka, that fucker._

He had yanked Suga’s arm up, sending a fresh wave of pain through the setter’s body, and the loud pop his wrist made left him feeling queasy. He vaguely heard Tanaka apologizing profusely, but it was hard to focus on anything but the moment of disorientation as he jerked out of Kiyoko and Tanaka’s hold and hunched in on himself, clutching his arm to his chest protectively. 

Kiyoko put a hand on his shoulder. “That’s it, you’re okay, let us see it,” she coaxed. Suga spat out the bandana, coughing as he tried to catch his breath. “Asshole,” he spluttered. Scowling, he begrudgingly offered his arm again. 

Kiyoko rolled her eyes. “I think it’s back in place. See if you can roll your wrist at all,” she ordered. Suga cautiously did so. It was still sore, but he seemed to be able to move the joint now without too much effort. 

“I think it worked.”

Tanaka lurched forward suddenly, and Sugawara yelped at the other teen’s weight as he suddenly threw himself onto him. “Thank god, I had no idea what I was doing! Don’t get hurt again, or I’ll kick your ass myself!” He babbled, leaving Suga to pat his back hurriedly, looking up to the others in the room for help. 

Kiyoko tapped on Tanaka’s shoulder. The boy froze instantly. Suga quite literally felt him stop breathing. His head slowly turned, gazing at Kiyoko with huge eyes. “Y-yes, Kiyoko-san?” 

Kiyoko gave him a simple thumbs-up. “Good job, Tanaka.”

Anyone would have thought she’d proposed from the way Tanaka lit up, leaping away from Suga and to his feet in order to bow as low to the ground as he could. “Thank you! Thank you!” He shouted gleefully. Suga threw the bandana he’d just spit out at Tanaka’s head. He squawked in indignation as it nailed him in the side of the head. “Ugh! Spit rag!”

“You might actually need that. His wrist is back in place, but I think you’re supposed to immobilize it until it heals,” Kiyoko pointed out. Tanaka turned back to Suga with a smirk as he held out the bandana again.

Suga pouted. “Ew. I don’t want the spit rag either.”

“It’s _your_ spit!”

“Still gross. You’re gonna wrap my injury with that?”

“If the spit rag fits, wear it!”

Tsukishima made a fake gagging noise. “Can we please stop talking about spit?” 

Sugawara relented and let Tanaka wrap his wrist and hand up tightly. He even tore a few strips off his shirt for extra support, and soon enough, they had a halfway-decent apocalyptic cast. “That’s the best we can do right now,” Kiyoko was the one to voice the thought, and the others agreed readily. There wasn’t much use fretting over not having better solutions. 

By this point, Suga had to face the fact that they probably wouldn’t make it back to Daichi and the others by tonight. They’d have to finish scouting out the neighborhood and then stay overnight, probably in the treehouse. Hopefully when they weren’t back by sunset, Daichi would go ahead and lead the group to safety for the night. 

Daichi would be so worried, Suga thought guilty. He sighed heavily. “You guys rest for a bit. We’ll stop here for a couple hours and then we’ll see if we can finish up here,” he said. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi didn’t hesitate, slipping their bags off their shoulders and making themselves as comfortable as they could in the corner. Suga leaned over and snatched one of the scattered blankets, tossing it to Yamaguchi. The freckled teen caught it and smiled gratefully before draping it over both him and Tsukishima. 

Tanaka hesitated. “Somebody should keep watch-”

“I’ve got it,” Suga interrupted. Tanaka raised an eyebrow. 

“Suga...not to be rude, but you’re clearly exhausted from all that shit. We’d all feel better if you got some rest,” he said slowly. There was a bitter taste in Suga’s mouth. He couldn’t help but feel like they didn’t trust his abilities...but really, could he blame them?

Kiyoko reached out and slid the straps of Suga’s backpack down his arms. “Take a nap. Please,” she added. Suga found himself studying the floor, unable to meet their eyes. He nodded. 

“Great, I’ll keep watch,” Tanaka grinned. Kiyoko settled down a few feet from Suga. 

“Okay. Wake me in an hour and I’ll take your spot.” 

Suga shifted until he was curled up on his side, using his bag as a pillow and squeezing his eyes shut tight to block everything out. As soon as he did so, the force of his exhaustion slammed into him full force, and he couldn’t have stayed awake if he wanted to. 

It was an uneasy rest. As he fell asleep, he thought about the rest of the group, and he prayed with his entire heart that they were safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! Please leave a comment if you’d like and let me know what you liked and any predictions you have :))

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Leave a comment and tell me what you think if you’d like :)! ALSO, would you guys be interested in a check in with the rest of the group next chapter? And if so, whose POV? If I do that I’m actually thinking Hinata, but I’m also considering Daichi and even Asahi. Let me know!


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